BRIIIIIIIICK--- Yikes, that game was ugly
It was an ugly night where the Warriors shot a horrendous 34% from the field and finished with 79 points in route to a 79-90 loss against the now 2-2 Memphis Grizzlies. The feeling I had through the 3rd quarter of this game was one that I was accustomed to feeling last year: We played down to our competition the majority of the game, and I would be hoping we would pull out some sort of late rally and finish on top. It happened a lot last year, but we were triumphant many times. Tonight wasn't one of those nights, and to be honest I don't think we can depend on those types of games this year. We lost Baron Davis, and we can no longer pour in points the way we used to in such a hurry. Anyways, here's the breakdown of the game...
Versatility
I thought the previous game against the Nets was huge because we were versatile. We tried shooting the ball long-range first and it didn't really work out. At that point we completely shifted gears and drove to the basket constantly. The result was 52 FTs and win. Tonight, the Warriors were stone cold from everything outside of the key. The first quarter we were doing well inside, as noted several times by the Memphis announcers (NBA League Pass), but they went away from what was working. Particularly I thought Biedrins had a solid first 8 minutes or so, but after his fouls accumulated and he got out of the game, once he got back he was somewhat ignored. I've said it before and I'll say it again I think our offense would just function so much better if we at least gave Andris a look every other play or so. He doesn't need to shoot, but maybe our inside-outside game could get jump started a little, particularly when we start to get one dimensional (outside) for periods of time.
Maggette and Harrington
They didn't play outrageous minutes tonight, but they sure are important pieces of our offense, and when they play like they did today, it's very alarming. The previous games Maggette showed me 2 things: He could get to the line, and he could grab boards. Tonight he did the exact opposite of what I was beginning to expect from him. He grabbed 1 rebound and took 16 shots (mostly jumpshots). I don't mind him taking a jumpshot or two to keep the defense honest but his strength is attacking the basket and getting to the line, and for one reason or another he didn't do that tonight. My problem with Harrington is he's trying to do so much, with few opportunities. Everyone knows he wants out of Oakland, and Nelson even said "he thinks he's a superstar." I saw that tonight, and glimpses of it previous nights-- He'll take long jump shots with a hand in his face just because someone finally gave him the ball-- He tries to make too many places driving to the bucket as well, and I really think it's making him less effective. In my eyes, he isn't a go-to guy in this offense. He's a guy that can get points on the break, shoot the 3 pointer after someone else's penetration, and get 4-6 hustle points from awkward rebounds and such. Until he realizes that however, I think he can only hurt this team.
Where We Stand
It's really tough to say after a loss like this. We played well our first 2 games against formidable opponents and lost down the stretch. We got a good win on the road against New Jersey, and had a horrible showing tonight. It was so bad we finally got to see Randolph and Belinelli (though Marco was given a few minutes in the first half as well, finally). I really don't like the direction that this team is headed. Jackson shoulders too much of the offensive responsibility, 50% of our offense or more is ISO plays, and we haven't seen much of our youngsters yet and were 1-3. On the other hand, every team has a bad game here and there, and maybe this was it. Let's hope the latter is right in this case-- We'll take another look at this after 3 or 4 more games
Top 3 Performances
1. Andris Biedrins- Hands down the best performance of the night. If this guy could stay on the court (foul less) he might be an all star center in the west. He finished with nearly a leading 16 points and a ridiculous 22 rebounds!
2. CJ Watson- I liked his aggressiveness tonight, and well... I'm having trouble finding anything positive out of this game. He finished with 4 points and 4 assists. He would've had a few more assists had it not been for all the missed jump shots.
3. Marco Belinelli- He played, and he shot 100% from 3pt range. On a night like this, he'll get mentioned on this blog. Honestly though, I hope he gets a few more appearances like tonight, even if its just 4, just to check to see if his shot is on.
03 November, 2008
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3 comments:
Good wrap, as usual. Although frustrated at times when watching the Ws in the first 3 games, I was more disgusted tonight than anything else. Although, when you are as ice cold as they were, there really isn't much you can do about it. Perhaps a bit more patience would have been the order of the day (but don't we say that about this team pretty much every night?) Here are a few more thoughts:
1. In response to your bit about Maggette, I think the reason he didn't drive to the basket tonight is due to his hamstring problem(s). It looked like he was settling for the outside shot once he got hurt in the 2nd period. I give him props for not sitting the rest of the game out.
2. When a player on this team goes cold, he has to learn that it is best to pass the ball. The most eggregious tonight was Azebuke. He kept forcing up shot after shot, to the point I started yelling "don't shoot!" every time he had the ball in his hands (to no avail). But this goes for pretty much everyone (Jax, AH, etc...) The only guy who doesn't seem to have that problem is Biedrins.
3. I am starting to like what Nelson and CJ are doing at PG a bit more; however, the Ws have to think long and hard about trying to acquire Stephen Marbury when he gets released later this week by the Knicks. In a contract year, he would be playing to show off his game and could be helpful, pending Monta's return.
4. Regarding "playing down" to the competition, I think you hit the nail right on the head. Even more, however, the Ws seem to get away from what seems to work that night. It's almost like they have a game plan, it works, and then they revert to their old ways. Tonight, I thought that their zone defense was working very well and they forced Memphis to shoot from the outside and made them look foolish (especially during the Ws run in the 3rd quarter). When Memphis called time out to stop the bleeding, instead of staying with it (or trying to return to the zone every other defensive possession), the Ws went back to man-to-man and opened up the inside for Gasol once again.
5. Last but not least, doesn't having to listen to the Memphis announcers really give you renewed appreciation for the Ws announcers? Their announcers not only sounded bored (making the game boring), but really had nothing substantial to say....
Keep up the good work. NoCalFred.
Thanks for the comment Fred, always appreciated. I loved your input. The bit about Maggette was good. I didn't even consider that as a reason but that does make sense. Typically he's not the quickest guy out there on the floor, and when you tweak a hammy, you're even slower, thus making it difficult to penetrate and get buy a guy.
I too like what Nelson and CJ are bringing. Neither stands out alot but they are just getting the job done. It's not pretty, it's just efficient. I think Nelson would have more success if he had some more confidence. He's almost hesitant to drive the lane and perhaps miss an attempt because, well, he's an undrafted rookie starting with a bunch of guys who want the ball. I think he's athletic to get a decent shot up and when the warriors go this cold, I wanna see more of his penetration. It opens up ALOT...
RE: Marbury... Wouldn't mind it. Low risk, low reward, particularly if he's released. I'd do that any day. I also can't wait to ship Harrington out of here. I hate what he's doing for us right now. If we could sign Marbury we could still get a big for harrington since I'm assuming nelson isnt ready to play wright starter minutes. If we don't go with Marbury, I wouldnt be surprised if we trade harrington for a PG... I just dont know who we'd start at PF... Turiaf for now until Wright is ready?
Tell me about the announcers... I was actually bored during this game (ok, yes that did have to do with the gameplay as well) but no matter how the game is going with warriors announcers, they keep me interested. Of course we're all biased but damn, I have NBA league pass, I hear alot of announcers, and I think they may be the best in the biz
Best announcer EVER was former Warrior's Bill King (who died a few years ago). He also did the A's games for a long time, but b'ball was his best. Nothing like an exciting play and King would scream "Holy Toledo!" May be before your time, Andrew, but if you ever get a chance to hear a tape of King, you won't be sorry. I hear he's up for the baseball HOF as an announcer again this year. He would ride the refs from the sidelines, would question moves made by the coaches -- before the moves proved to be idiotic -- and then word it like "I told you so" without actually saying it. Was very eloquent in his delivery and, most importantly, you could visualize the game while listening to the radio. Simply an awesome announcer. NCFred.
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